I was cleaning out the office closet, and I came across one of my spiral notebooks from a few years ago (circa 2004). It was filled with notes from while I was watching BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER -- anything that as a writer, I could use. Yes, I took notes while watching TV.
Here were some of my observations:

* Create stand-alone stories that work in an arc.
* There's always room for humor.
* Establish the character, then create a situation where they act out-of-character.
* Good dialogue covers a multitude of sins.
* Start off with a "mini-action moment."
* Dating relationships are fun to destroy.
* Create impossible challenges.